Abstract: Biophilia is an instinctive nature formed by human long-term adaptation to the natural environment and one of the basic psychological needs of human beings. The proposal of biophilic design provides a new perspective for solving the contradiction between human beings and urban environment in today’s society, and has gradually become a research hotspot in the field of human settlements in foreign countries. By taking the historical context of the development of biophilic design abroad as a clue and the symbolic research achievements as a node, the origin, establishment and development stages of biophilic design research were sorted out. The basic connotation and universal methods of biophilic design were summarized through the detailed description of theoretical evolution, method advancing and practice in different stages, then the design strategies combined with the current situation of urban space were put forward to provide a theoretical basis for the related research of biophilia in China.